Popular Moab spring shut down for health concerns

February 16, 1:17 PMSalt Lake City Outdoor Recreation ExaminerJared Hargrave

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Photo by Craig Bigler, Moab Times-Independent

A camping trip to Moab was never complete without a stop at the Matrimony Spring to fill up on free, clean water. The spring is located right off State Route 128 across from Lions Park and is my favorite place to fill jugs and water bottles before heading into the canyons for camping, rock climbing or mountain biking. Well, it was my favorite place until the Health Department and the Grand County Road Department closed the spring and sealed it off with a pipe that now diverts the water under the road to the Colorado River.

According to the Moab Times-Independent, an unknown contaminant entered the water somewhere upstream and that the coliform bacteria cannot be totally removed. Therefore, Matrimony Spring has been officially closed, much to the dismay of outdoor-recreation enthusiasts.

Matrimony Spring has a long history as a community gathering-place. Legend says that if two lovers drank from the spring, they would eventually get married. Another tale says if a person drinks from the spring, they are then “married” to canyon country.

Maybe the legend is true, as I drank from the spring numerous times and keep going back to the red-rock canyons every year. Luckily, there is still free water available across the road at Lions Park where a culinary water spigot is located. But filling up there simply will not be the same as drinking water right from the sandstone rock at the spring. So rest in peace, Matrimony Spring. A visit to Moab will never be the same without you.